Giants’ Steven Duggar out for season with shoulder injury, surgery recommended

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 08: Steven Duggar #6 of the San Francisco Giants stands in the dugout before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park on July 8, 2018 in San Francisco, California. The San Francisco Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 13-8. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)

Photo: Jason O. Watson / Getty Images

Center fielder Steven Duggar, the most dynamic position player the Giants have developed in years, sustained a dislocated left shoulder and torn labrum when he dived into second base in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s win, the team learned Wednesday. The injuries will end his rookie season.

Moreover, team doctors who provided the diagnosis after an MRI exam are recommending surgery to repair the labrum. Manager Bruce Bochy said Duggar will have to decide whether to have the operation, which likely would have him ready for the 2019 season.

The Giants placed Duggar on the disabled list before Wednesday night’s 3-1 loss to the Diamondbacks and replaced him with Gregor Blanco, the longtime Giants outfielder who accepted a demotion to Triple-A Sacramento on June 5 and stuck it out for nearly three months. His final act for the River Cats was a game-ending homer against Albuquerque on Tuesday.

Duggar, 24, brought great speed and glove work to the Giants upon his July arrival. He also began to click at the plate, winning games against Texas on Sunday and Arizona on Monday night with two-run hits.

His loss will suck a lot of enjoyment and anticipation out of the final games this season at AT&T Park, not to mention what it will do for Duggar.

“I’m sure he’s crushed by this,” Bochy said. “He loves to play the game. This is a tough break for him and for us. I feel for the kid.”

Duggar walked in the ninth inning of a 0-0 game Tuesday and scored the winning run on Gorkys Hernandez’s single. In between, Duggar took a wide turn around second base on a Nick Hundley single to left. As Duggar dived back to the bag, he felt his non-throwing shoulder pop out and back into place.

On Wednesday afternoon, Duggar said his range of motion “isn’t horrible” and is better than he thought it would be a day after the injury, but Bochy said the rookie was “really sore.” Given his importance for the team’s future, Bochy said, placing him on the DL was a “no-brainer.”

It also fit the pattern for a horrendous season for the Giants’ injuries, which have hit players young and old alike.

“The timing is awful,” Bochy said. “He was really in a good place. I told Duggy that. I really like where he’s at in his game. He’s definitely exciting, the range he covers, his arm, and with the bat, he really tightened up his swing.”

Hernandez will become the regular center fielder. The Giants promoted Blanco because of his history at the position, although at 34, he is more suited for a corner.

Asked if Blanco’s history in center was why the Giants did not promote power prospect Chris Shaw, Bochy said it had more to do with a lack of potential playing time for Shaw with Andrew McCutchen in right (if he is not traded) and Austin Slater continuing to get more starts in left.

Also Wednesday, Stanford orthopedist Dr. Tim McAdams examined right-hander Jeff Samardzija and agreed he should continue to rest and rehab his shoulder. Bochy acknowledged that Samardzija pitching again in 2018 is doubtful.

Henry Schulman has covered the San Francisco Giants since 1988, starting with the Oakland Tribune and San Francisco Examiner before moving to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1998. His career has spanned the "Earthquake World Series" in 1989 and the Giants' three World Series championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014. In between, he covered Barry Bonds' controversial career with the Giants, including Bonds ' successful quests for home-run records and his place in baseball's performance-enhancing drugs scandal. Known for his perspective and wit, Henry also appears frequently on radio and television talking Giants, and is a popular follow on Twitter.